Belgium – The international debut of Fanny & Alexander's new show "Nina"
Nina, the new show of musical theatre by Fanny & Alexander artists’ collective, is a homage to the singer, pianist, and activist Nina Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon.
After the world premiere at the Romaeuropa Festival in November, the international debut of Nina is in Belgium, in Antwerp, on stage at the DE SINGEL International Arts Centre on December 1st and 2nd.
The multi-awarded American soprano and performer Claron McFadden plays Nina Simone and creates a versatile portrait of the legendary artist starting from recordings of her performances and radio-TV interviews. «I think that Nina and Claron share some similarities, above all that of opening the heart channel while singing» says Luigi De Angelis, co-creator of the project with Chiara Lagani and director of the performance. «Claron, like Nina, is not afraid to convey emotions through singing: she has incredible technique, all the same she manages to move, to touch inside».
Thanks to the heterodirection technique – a key element of Fanny & Alexander's poetics – Claron McFadden brings Nina Simone to life and makes her iconic voice resonate in the present, showing the various expressions of the strength of her character and creative spirit, going through the most salient moments of her story –from her poetic tension to the fight for women’s and African Americans’ rights, revealing her most intimate fragilities and wounds.
After Antwerp, the new prestigious international stage for Nina will be Paris: the Festival d’Automne hosts the French premiere of the show from December 13 to 16.